Aged women protest over allege forceful takeover of shops

Latest update on Xclick24 03-June-2020

Women between the ages of 65 to 82 years trading at the Odu Igbo Ogbo Azu Market under Ogbaru Main Market Onitsha on Wednesday, took to the streets of Okpoko in protest against the alleged forceful takeover of shops allocated to them 23 years ago.

Displaying placards with inscriptions as “Ogbaru Main Market Chairman stop building on our shops on Sundays” We were legally allocated our shops in 1996 by Ogbaru Local Government” “We have stayed in our shops for 23 years without disturbance from any government and market leader.” the women called on Governor Willie Obiano to intervene in the matter.

The women-led by Mrs. Elizabeth Ezue, 82 years, Josephine Dimaka, 80, Underline Onwuuezue, 75 years and Mrs. Veronica Nwauba, 68 years representing other 25 women, took their protest to Okpoko Police Station to demand the release of their children who were arrested by the Police for disrupting the construction on their open shops.

Spokespersons for the women 82 years Mrs. Ezue, and other women displayed their allocation papers bearing Gable-end Pitches and Kiosk, signed by Uzondu Egwuatu, dated 13 May 1996, said that they have been trading in their shops for 23 years under successive government and market leaders and have not had a problem with any wondering by the new Chairman of Ogbaru Main Market will be the one to dispossess them of their shop.

Mrs. Ezue alleged that the Chairman of Ogbaru Main Market Mr. Victor Nwawuzie started building on their shops on December 25, 2019, but they got the information and came back from December holidays to stop him and his contractors.

“We even invited the Police from Onitsha Area Command who arrested and after interrogations by the Area Commander who also warned him to stay away from our but he has continued to disturbing us.”

“We are surprised that Mr. Nwawuzie came up again to start building on our shops even after the Police Area Commander has to ask him to steer clear from our shops, and we do not have any other option than to buy hammers and gave our children who the Police from Okpoko Police Station arrested on the instruction of Mr. Nwawuzie to destroy anything built on our shops, that is why we are here in this Police Station to demand our children release.”

When Vanguard called Mr. Nwawuzie, for him to speak on the matter proved abortive, he also did not respond to the text message sent to his phone at exactly 3.10 pm